Month: June 2016

One of my favourite things about reading is discovering a new genre/subgenre for the first time. It was last summer that I made the conscious decision to read more fantasy fiction and I haven’t looked back, but I do enjoy the occassional crime story (hello Sherlock Holmes). Luckily I have discovered a happy balance: fantasy heist novels. This realisation came after recently finishing Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows. I loved it. I enjoyed the unpredictabiliy of the plot and how the impossibility of the job brought tension to the characters and affected their behaviour. It was when I began to write my review in my book journal that I remembered this was why I loved Sanderson’s The Final Empire, another heist story. Continue reading →

Like this:

Disclaimer: I won this beautiful proof in a Goodreads giveaway and I am so thankful because just look at it. I am under no obligation to write anything about it but I loved it so much I needed to tell you all. It is by Jay Kristoff and you can find out more about it here.

Like this:

Today I am doing the lovely Pippa’s Pellinor Book Tag. She loves the four book fantasy series by Alison Croggon and created this tag to show her appreciation for it and encourage others to pick them up. You can find her original post here over at her blog thelittlebookowl. I really enjoyed thinking about these questions so thanks for the tag! You don’t need to have read any of the books to participate so please give it a go if you fancy it! Continue reading →

Like this:

Verity is a city split along the Seam, the dividing line between North and South, both sides on the brink of war against the other and both filled with monsters. In the North, Callum Harker reigns victorious, his citizens paying dearly for the protection of an iron medallion to keep the behemoths away. His daughter Kate is more trouble than she’s worth but after getting kicked out of numerous boarding schools over the past six years she is finally back in the city and desperate to prove her metal. In the South we have the Flynns, fighting every day to destroy the monsters lurking in the shadows and taking out those who would create them. August Flynn is the youngest of the family and is struggling to combine his monstrous needs with his good heart. Both Kate and August feel they know what is right and wrong, but after a botched assassination attempt that forces them on the run, it becomes clear that even they don’t know who the real monsters are. Continue reading →

Like this:

Elantris has it all; religious fanaticism, political intrigue, compelling characters, moral ambiguity and, of course, an amazing magic system. Based on the drawing of symbols, Elantris was the city of Gods where even the walls, buildings and ground shone with magic. Until one day ten years ago when it simply began to rot… Continue reading →

Like this:

I don’t normally set a tbr list as I tend to feel that once I’ve commited myself to it, I can’t read anything else. I enjoy the freedom of picking up whatever I fancy. This month though, I am so excited about all of these that I think I’ll stick to it quite happily! Not necessarily in this order though. Continue reading →

Like this:

What can I say? I really, really enjoyed this. Brandon Sanderson proves once again that he is the master of worldbuilding. It is no easy task to create a whole world complete with a well-developed magic system, different cultures, opposing religions and political intrigue – not to mention brilliant three-dimensional, complex characters to boot! AND all in one standalone novel. Continue reading →